1. Chicago’s 50 Best Restaurants, Ranked

BY AMY CAVANAUGH AND JOHN KESSLER
In a city of great places to eat, here are our favorites.

2. Italian Beef’s Golden Age

Thanks to The Bear, Chicago’s favorite sandwich is now everybody’s favorite. Our guide to all things Italian beef comes loaded with our top picks, classic and new-school takes (fancy a vegan version?), a recipe for home, and much more.

3. Best Public High Schools

Our first rankings in five years go deeper than ever, with 110 schools across the six-county metro area.

4. The Nazi of Oak Park

BY MICHAEL SOFFER
It was a stunning revelation: A respected high school custodian had been a concentration camp guard. This excerpt of a new book examines how the disclosure of a dark secret in the early ’80s divided a suburb.

5. Escape to the Lake

From the ideal spot for sweeping coastal views to a pastry paradise, these 12 Lake Michigan destinations are perfect for getting away from it all.

6. The Drawing the Art Institute Won’t Give Back

BY KELLY ENGELBRECHT
The heirs of a famous Jewish entertainer killed in the Holocaust want the museum to return a work they say was stolen by the Nazis. But was it really?

7. Best of Chicago

Whether you are in town for a certain convention or have lived here forever, we’ve got you covered with top picks for shopping, eating, drinking, and more.

8. The Ramen Lord

BY KEVIN PANG
At Chicago’s buzziest new restaurant, Mike Satinover is obsessed with one goal: making the perfect bowl of Japanese noodles.

9. A Knife Forged in Fire

BY LAURENCE GONZALES
The author wanted a Japanese-style kitchen blade made for him by hand. What he witnessed was a combination of artistry and atomic magic.

10. The 50 Most Powerful Chicagoans, Ranked

TEXT BY EDWARD McCLELLAND
Who’s in charge here? The heavy hitters in our Power 50 know how to use their influence to make things happen in Chicago and beyond.